By Xhabir Deralla

Former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and owner of the Kosovo-based media outlet Kosova Post, Fadil Pushkoli, was detained on September 22 at the Blace border crossing while entering North Macedonia from Kosovo, on the basis of a request by the Serbian authorities circulated through the INTERPOL system. After several hours of questioning by police, Pushkoli was released.

The detention was initially reported by Pushkoli himself, who said the case was linked to his former membership in the KLA and called on Kosovo’s institutions to become involved in protecting his rights. Kosovo media outlet Koha also reported that he had been detained on the basis of a warrant issued by the Serbian authorities.

Following his release, Pushkoli thanked North Macedonian police officers for what he described as fair and professional treatment. Deputy Minister of Interior Astrit Iseni, according to media reports, also pointed to the police treatment of Pushkoli as an example of professional conduct.

The Blerim Ramadani case

The detention recalls the case of Blerim Ramadani, also a former KLA member, who was arrested at the Jazhince border crossing in July 2024 on the basis of a Serbian request circulated through INTERPOL. Serbia was seeking him at the time over suspicions of war crimes in the Nerodime region in 1999. Ramadani was placed under house arrest but later fled before the proceedings were completed.

In its August 2024 analysis, “The 2024 Blerim Ramadani case: Beyond propaganda – the significance, successes and abuses of INTERPOL”, CIVIL MEDIA highlighted an important but often overlooked feature of the system: an INTERPOL notice is not an international arrest warrant that automatically obliges national authorities to detain a person.

INTERPOL continues to state explicitly that a Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action, but that it is not an international arrest warrant. The organisation cannot compel national authorities to arrest someone; each country decides what legal value to give a Red Notice under its own legislation.

The same point was highlighted in CIVIL MEDIA’s 2024 analysis, which stressed the need to clearly distinguish between INTERPOL’s role and the responsibility of national police, judicial and other institutions when acting on such requests.

Serbia and wanted notices for Kosovo citizens

CIVIL’s 2024 analysis also focused on Serbia’s longstanding practice of seeking the arrest of Kosovo citizens, including former KLA members, politicians and other public figures. The article noted that by 2017, the so-called Serbian “White Book” contained the names of 157 Kosovo citizens wanted by Serbia, some of whom were also sought through INTERPOL mechanisms. Former Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Çeku was cited as one of the better-known examples.

The issue is not specific to relations between Serbia and Kosovo. INTERPOL has rules stipulating that its mechanisms must not be used for activities of a political, military, religious or racial character, while numerous cases have been documented over the years in which states have been accused of attempting to use the system for politically motivated prosecutions.

For that reason, every new case at North Macedonia’s borders raises the same question: whether, and how, national institutions assess not only the existence of an international request, but also its legal basis, its compliance with INTERPOL rules, and the possibility that the mechanism is being misused as part of a broader political dispute.

In the case of Fadil Pushkoli, his release only a few hours after being detained indicates that, at least at this stage, the case is taking a different course from that of Blerim Ramadani in 2024.

Background: CIVIL Media examined the broader issue of INTERPOL’s role, its achievements and its vulnerability to political abuse in an extensive 2024 analysis prompted by the Blerim Ramadani case. Read: “The 2024 Blerim Ramadani case: Beyond propaganda — the significance, successes and abuses of Interpol.”

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